98: Chapter 98, Fourth Piece

Sunday, 4:00 PM, Secret Base.

Chen Zhen sat cross-legged in the center of the array, surrounded by four Celestial Star Arrays emitting a rich glow, while six pots of spiritual plants stretched their leaves in the Spiritual Qi.

He closed his eyes, his consciousness immersed in the newly activated [Heavenly Road Perception].

A person stood over there.

A person exactly like him.

The same brows and eyes, the same build, the same aura—but completely different.

The aura on that person was more than ten times stronger than his. That strength was not a gap in the total amount of spiritual power, but a fundamental difference.

It was like standing at the foot of a mountain looking up at the peak, or like looking at oneself in a mirror.

"You have come."

The voice came from over there, not through the ears, but ringing directly in his mind.

Chen Zhen opened his eyes and looked at the image in the Void Realm.

"Are you my Original Body?"

The person smiled.

"You could say that. Ten thousand years ago, I split myself into two. One part remained here, and one part went over there." He paused. "You are my Clone, and also my continuation."

Chen Zhen was silent for a few seconds.

"Why are you waiting for me?"

The Original Body looked at him with gentle eyes.

"Waiting for you to come and help me do something."

"What is it?"

The Original Body did not answer directly.

He turned around and looked in a certain direction.

Chen Zhen followed his gaze; there was only Chaos over there, and he couldn't see anything clearly.

"The thing here is about to wake up," the Original Body said. "I cannot suppress it alone."

Chen Zhen was shocked.

"What thing?"

The Original Body turned back to look at him.

"Something much older than us," he said. "Ten thousand years ago, I placed a Seal on it. But the Seal is loosening."

He paused.

"I need you to come over and help me re-Seal it."

Chen Zhen was silent for a long time.

Then he asked, "How do I get there?"

The Original Body smiled.

"Collect all eighteen fragments. The Heavenly Road will open naturally."

The image began to fade.

"You already have four in your hands. There are fourteen more outside," he said. "Find them. I am waiting for you."

The image dissipated.

Chen Zhen opened his eyes and looked at his palm.

Four fragments slowly rotated in his Dantian, emitting a steady, dark blue glow.

Fourteen more.

He stood up and walked to the window.

The sunlight outside was just right; it was an ordinary Sunday afternoon.

But he knew that from today on, everything would be different.

Sunday at 7:00 PM, the door of the Secret Base was knocked on.

Chen Zhen opened the door; Zhou Rui and Shen Mo were standing outside.

As soon as they entered the door, both of them were stunned.

"Master, you..." Zhou Rui stared at him, his eyes wide. "You seem different again."

Shen Mo was also looking at him, his expression complex.

Chen Zhen didn't speak; he walked back to the center of the array and sat down.

The two followed and sat down opposite him.

After a few seconds of silence, Shen Mo spoke: "I saw my grandfather."

Chen Zhen looked at him.

"Which grandfather?"

Shen Mo was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly.

"You knew?"

Chen Zhen nodded.

Shen Mo was silent for a few seconds, then pulled that small fragment from his pocket.

"He came to find me yesterday," he said. "It wasn't a dream; he was really standing in front of my bed. He told me a lot."

Chen Zhen waited for him to continue.

Shen Mo took a deep breath.

"He said that I have his Bloodline in me and that I will be able to Cultivate in the future," he said, looking at Chen Zhen. "He also said to let me follow you."

Zhou Rui was listening from the side, looking completely confused.

"What are you guys talking about? What grandfather? What Bloodline?"

Chen Zhen ignored him and looked at Shen Mo.

"Do you want to learn?"

Shen Mo nodded.

"Yes."

Chen Zhen was silent for a few seconds.

Then he took a Spirit Gathering Talisman from his Storage Space and handed it to Shen Mo.

"It's the same as the last one. Stick it on your room wall and sit in meditation for an hour every morning and evening."

Shen Mo took the talisman and carefully put it away.

Zhou Rui raised his hand from the side: "Master, what about me?"

Chen Zhen looked at him.

"How is your soul-calming grass growing?"

Zhou Rui took a small flowerpot out of his schoolbag; tender green sprouts had already emerged inside.

"It's alive. It sprouted in three days."

Chen Zhen nodded.

"Keep nurturing it. Once it blooms, I will teach you the next talisman."

Zhou Rui grinned.

"Okay!"

At 9:00 PM, the two left.

Chen Zhen sat alone in the center of the array and took out the four fragments.

They rotated in his Dantian, their glow steady.

Fourteen more.

He activated [Fragment Perception].

Sixteen points of light were distributed.

Five red ones—two in the Northeast, one in the Northwest, two in the South.

Seven yellow ones—scattered everywhere.

Three green ones—Yun Xi is at the foot of Changbai Mountain, and the other two are near Wuyi Mountain and Changbai Mountain.

And one more—right in this city, the small one Shen Mo has.

Including his own, that makes seventeen in total.

Where is the last one?

He withdrew his perception and looked out the window.

The night was deep, and the city lights twinkled like stars.

Soon.

He closed his eyes and continued to Cultivate.

Four points of light slowly rotated in his Dantian, and Stellar Energy poured into his meridians like a tidal wave.

[Cultivation: Qi Refining Level 5 100/2500]

He was rewarded with 100 points upon the Breakthrough, and now he was just starting.

The road is still long.

But he has plenty of time.

Monday at 6:00 AM, Chen Zhen opened his eyes on time.

After a night of Cultivation, his Cultivation increased by 45 points. Qi Refining Level 5 145/2500.

He stood up and walked to the window.

The sunlight outside was very good; it was an ordinary Monday morning.

He took out his phone and glanced at his messages.

Lao Zhao sent a message last night: "There is a city-wide exam today, don't be late."

He put his phone away and walked over to the few pots of spiritual plants.

The six pots of spiritual plants, under the support of the four Celestial Star Arrays, were growing faster and faster.

Four soul-calming grasses had bloomed with six more flowers, the Mint leaves were dense and shiny, and the second crop of the wild soul-calming grass had already sprouted a finger's height.

He picked the flowers, collected the leaves, and ground them into powder.

anshen flower powder stock: 150 grams.

Mint leaves: 400 pieces.

Enough for a long time.

He pushed the door open and walked out.

At 7:00, Chen Zhen stepped into the classroom.

Zhang Meng was making up homework in the back row; seeing him enter, he shouted as usual: "Help! Lend me your Chinese homework to copy!"

Chen Zhen threw his workbook over.

Zhang Meng caught it and buried his head in copying furiously.

Chen Zhen walked to his seat and sat down.

Su Xiaoya, who sat in front, turned her head, her eyes bright.

"Chen Zhen, you look... different again today."

Chen Zhen looked at her.

"How is it different?"

Su Xiaoya thought for a moment.

"I can't put my finger on it. It just feels... exceptionally bright."

Chen Zhen didn't answer.

Su Xiaoya waited for two seconds, then turned back.

In the last row, Zhou Rui looked up at him, then lowered his head to read.

Shen Mo was also there today, sitting next to Zhou Rui, flipping through a Chinese textbook.

Chen Zhen withdrew his gaze and opened his textbook.

The first class was Chinese, a city-wide exam.

Two and a half hours for reading comprehension, classical Chinese, and an essay.

Chen Zhen finished very quickly.

With the support of [Knowledge Fusion] and [Model Thinking], those complex reading comprehension questions became like child's play.

He saw through the classical Chinese translations at a glance, and his writing flowed as if guided by a divine spirit.

After finishing the last question, he glanced at the time—there was still an hour left.

He checked it once, then handed in his paper early.

The proctor was stunned for a moment, took the paper, and flipped through it.

"Are you sure you want to hand it in?"

Chen Zhen nodded.

The proctor didn't say anything else.

Chen Zhen walked out of the classroom and stood on the corridor.

The sunlight shone in, warm and cozy.

He activated [Fragment Perception].

Seventeen points of light.

Five red ones—two moved, heading south.

Seven yellow ones—three moved.

Three green ones—Yun Xi was still at Changbai Mountain, and the other two were also still in place.

The small one Shen Mo has was in the classroom.

He himself was here.

The last one still hadn't appeared.

He withdrew his perception and looked at the sky in the distance.

Soon.

At noon, after school, Chen Zhen went to the cafeteria.

He got his food and found a seat.

He had just eaten a few bites when four people walked over carrying their food trays.

Zhou Rui, Shen Mo, Zhang Meng, and Chen Hao.

Chen Hao sat down opposite him and pushed up his glasses.

"Chen Zhen, did you hand in your Chinese exam early?"

Chen Zhen nodded.

Chen Hao was silent for a few seconds.

"Did you finish it?"

Chen Zhen looked at him.

"I finished it."

Chen Hao stared at him for a few seconds, then smiled bitterly.

"I really suspect now that you are cheating."

Zhang Meng added from the side: "I suspect it too!"

Zhou Rui looked down at his food, not speaking.

Shen Mo smiled and began to eat as well.

Chen Hao waited a few seconds; seeing that Chen Zhen didn't respond, he didn't ask further.

He looked down at his food, muttering as he ate: "Forget it, forget it, it's useless to ask anyway."

The third period in the afternoon was PE class.

Today was the long jump test.

The boys stood in front of the sandpit, rubbing their hands and preparing.

Zhang Meng jumped first and landed at 5.8 meters.

"Not bad!" The PE Teacher noted the score.

"Next, Chen Zhen."

Chen Zhen walked to the starting line.

He didn't do a run-up, acceleration, or sprint like the others; he just stood there.

Then he jumped lightly.

[Physical Optimization] + [Stellar Energy].

His body seemed to be lifted by an invisible hand, tracing an arc in the air, and landed six meters away in the sandpit.

The PE Teacher took a look at the ruler and was stunned.

"6.5 meters."

The whole field was silent for a second.

"Holy crap!" Zhang Meng shouted first. "You jumped 6.5 meters from a standing position?"

Chen Zhen didn't speak and walked back into the ranks.

The PE Teacher stared at him for a few seconds, then noted the score in his notebook.

"Chen Zhen, 6.5 meters, you broke the school record."

There was an uproar below.

Chen Hao stood in the ranks, looking at Chen Zhen's back, his expression complex.

Zhou Rui was looking down, smiling.

Shen Mo was also smiling.

After school, Chen Zhen packed his bag, preparing to leave.

Zhou Rui walked over from behind and stood next to him.

"Master, can I go to the base tonight?"

Chen Zhen looked at him.

"What is it?"

Zhou Rui took the small flowerpot out of his schoolbag; the soul-calming grass inside had grown to three inches high, with faint golden edges on the leaves.

"It's growing too fast," Zhou Rui said. "I'm afraid I'll ruin it."

Chen Zhen glanced at the little seedling.

In the hands of an ordinary person, it was indeed not easy to grow it like this.

"Come tonight."

Zhou Rui nodded.

He turned and left.

Chen Zhen carried his schoolbag and walked out of the school gate.

The setting sun dyed the street gold.

He took a deep breath and walked towards the Secret Base.

Tonight, there was more work to do.